Deception
by K.T. Mills
Summary: Join Ben Skywalker and four Padawans on the journey of a lifetime! (MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU! May 4, 2014)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I looked at the stone and reached out in the force. Nothing happened. I looked up, hoping that no one saw my failure and grimaced as I looked at the stone again. I thought "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GET UP AND MOVE?!" Frustrated, I dropped my gaze and began tapping on my thigh. As I tapped, the stone lifted off of the table and launched its self at the wall. I looked up and gasped. The instructor looked around, trying to see who had thrown the stone. I blocked her view of my empty desk with my hand and pretended to concentrate on the stone that was no longer there. I looked up again and found him staring at my best friend, Leni'sema. I smirked and reached out to Leni in the Force, causing her to start. She looked up and noticed Master Ben Skywalker staring at her. She turned her head in my direction and gave me a dirty look. I smiled and made a heart with my small hands. She scowled and shook her head, causing her pale blue lekku to rock methodically back and forth, brushing her thin neck as they moved. I grinned. Master Skywalker was smiling too, though, neither of us noticed.

After our lesson, Leni and I headed to the dining hall for the midday meal break. As soon as we entered the hall, a wave of danger sense rolled up my spine. I looked around for the source of the unease, but found none. I shrugged it off and got in line for food. I turned to look at Leni and noticed that she was staring at one of the Jedi Knights that had been put on "Food Duty". Her gaze shifted to me and she smiled. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. Everything is fine. Why do you ask, Briki?" was Leni's response.

It was too simple for Leni. If it had been anyone else, I might have overlooked it, but I knew Leni and she was more complex than that. I grabbed the loose arm of her robe and pulled her close. I leaned even closer to her and whispered, "Leni, what the black empty void did you sense?"

"I'll tell you later. Drop it for now," she replied, semi-reluctantly.

By the time "later" arrived, my mind was racing with the worst possible scenarios. Leni pulled me into an empty corridor and whispered, "Sith," as if it were a curse. The unnatural sound of the word on her tongue frightened me. Again, I felt the wave of danger sense and spun on my heel to find Kandra Dailie, the Jedi that Leni had been staring at while we were in line for food. I smiled at Kandra. Leni shot a wary glance at her. I jabbed her in the ribs with my elbow and she smiled and nodded. "Hello Kandra. How are you?" I asked.

"Fine and you?" Kandra replied smoothly, ignoring Leni's wary gaze.

"Fine we-"my sentence was cut off when Leni interrupted with, "We have to get to class. Maybe we can talk later."

I waved at Kandra and made a face that, I hoped, conveyed apology as Leni pulled me down the hallway, towards our next class.

That night, I sat in bed, unable to sleep. I began to think about Kandra and the single word Leni had whispered in the corridor earlier. Kandra was the most beautiful Padawan girl. Her hair was long and dark. She often wore it in a braid that reached over half way down her back. When she moved, the braid swung back and forth, often swinging over one of her thin shoulders. Not only was Kandra beautiful, but she was also extremely nice. Kandra was most definitely not a Sith. Why would Leni imply that? It was rude, and if there was one word that Leni was not, it was rude. That meant that either Leni really believed that Kandra was a Sith, or she was going crazy.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up to the sound of alarms ringing through the hallway outside of my room. I quickly dressed and ran into the hallway to see what was happening. I was shoved down the hallway as hundreds of Padawans and frightened-looking Younglings rushed towards the main hall. I was able to hook my finger around my brother, Sayaar'kemi's loose sleeve. His blue lekku twitched in surprise and he spun to face me. I pulled him into a small corridor leading off of the main hallway, and asked what was going on. His only response was a small shake of his head and a look that said 'I'm sorry.' I grimaced and followed him back into the flow of beings, all headed for the main hall.

We had been standing in the main hall for at least twenty minutes when the sirens stopped. I leaned over to Leni and whispered, "Why did the alarms stop?"

She smirked and whispered, "Thanks for asking the obvious question, Briki."

I scowled and walked over to Master Skywalker. His response was much more helpful. He told me that someone had set off a thermal detonator in the Archives and stolen a ship to escape. I thanked him and slowly, cautiously walked towards Leni. I was thinking as I walked. Who would want to damage or destroy Jedi archives? Maybe the bomber wanted to escape, and, because the archives and hangar are so far apart, set off the detonator to distract the Jedi from the unscheduled departure of a ship. If it had been a large ship, it would make sense, but no one would question a small ship departing the Jedi temple and so why distract the Jedi? Maybe the bomber-

My train of thought was cut off as a laser barrage came out of nowhere and destroyed one of the large viewports in the main hall. Laser fire came hurtling through the broken viewport. The air smelled of superheated metal as the fire hit the back wall of the large room. Through the commotion of people rushing to get out, I heard Leni, Sayaar, and Theo, Sayaar's best friend, calling my name. I ran to them and began pushing through the crowd to leave when Leni grabbed my arm. I spun on my heel and saw that Theo and Sayaar were pushing through the crowd, but not towards the exit, towards the viewport! I ran after them, shoving through the panicked crowd of Jedi, with Leni close behind. Theo pulled Sayaar to a stop when he saw Leni and I chasing them. Within seconds, I reached them. All that anyone said was "JUMP!"

I jumped, and was surprised when my feet soon found a solid surface. I crouched and used the force to anchor myself in place on the rectangular shape of the Stealth X's wing. The cockpit was airtight and the pilot was probably leaving Courscant, which meant that we would be forced to jump off, or die in the vacuum of space, or…

I signaled to Leni to ignite her lightsaber. I plunged the tip of my lightsaber into the transparasteel. The cockpit was no longer airtight. I looked down into the face of the pilot, and found myself looking into the eyes of Kandra Dailie. "KANDRA?!" four voices said the name at once, all sounding confused and slightly angry.

Leni looked up from Kandra's angry eyes and said "Now is probably a bad time, but I told you so, Briki."

"Yeah. Bad timing," I shot back.

That was when the Stealth X began to spin and twitch beneath our feet. None of us realized that Kandra was trying to throw us off until it was too late. I felt my feet fly out from beneath me and I fell backwards, into the forest of skyscrapers and speeders.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I awoke, I felt as if an overweight rancor had been sitting on me. The fact that I awoke, is in itself, a miracle beyond definition. I took a deep breath and smelled the chemicals and sanitizer that could only be found in a med bay. I reached up and rubbed my neck as I slowly looked around. To med-droids, it would appear that I was stretching my neck, but I was really looking for my friends. Instantly, I spotted my brother and Leni, but I didn't see Theo. I waved over a droid and asked it where the 'Human boy involved in the Stealth X incident was.' In its monotone droid voice, it said, "The Jedi you refer to is named Jacmi Pattel. Am I correct?"

I nodded and it continued, "He did not fare as well as you three," it gestured to Sayaar and Leni, "He is currently undergoing surgery. After surgery, he will be put in a Bacta tank."

"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked the droid.

"Not long Ma'am. Precisely 6 days, 21 hours, and 37 minutes," It replied cheerfully, "I predicted that you would be unconscious for at least ten days."

I groaned and sat up. My head began to spin and my vision blurred. I decided to lie back down. I asked, "Did I have any major head injury?"

The droid's response was, "Yes ma'am, you have a concussion. You also had a serious fracture in your upper right leg and a dislocated shoulder. However, I have been able to repair those with minor surgery and a day in a Bacta tank. Sayaar'kemi, your brother, had two broken ribs, a broken forearm, and a broken toe. He must have fallen head first. Leni'sema, the other Twi'lek female, had a concussion and serious leg injuries. She probably tried to land on her feet. The concussion came from falling after landing."

I grunted, not really caring what their injuries were, as long as they would live. I began to think about how far Kandra could've gotten in seven days. She could be on another planet by now, she had a ship. Although, the cockpit was not airtight. I had stabbed it with my lightsaber. She would've had to land somewhere and either fix the hole or get a new ship. She was, more than likely, still on Courscant. The only problem was that I wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, and neither would Leni, Sayaar, or Theo. My thoughts were interrupted when Master Skywalker walked up to my cot and said, "Padawan, you showed great courage back there. I would like to congratulate you and your friends on your great deed. I realize that it is a bit informal, but I spoke with the rest of the council and they agreed to promote you all to Jedi Knights. You acted as a true Jedi should. As for Kandra, she was able to escape, but is definitely on Courscant."

My surprise rippled through the force. I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen. I wanted, so badly, to reach up and hug Master Skywalker. He must've sensed my pleasure, because he smiled. I tried to sit up again and I winced as pain shot through my head and blackness began to cloud the edges of my vision. I ignored the pain and slid back, so that my back was up against the headboard of the bed. I looked up at Jedi Master and Council Member, Ben Skywalker, Grandson of the Chosen One, and saw a tousled mop of red hair, fair skin with dozens of small freckles, and bright blue eyes. He was very attractive, by human standards, anyway.

Soon after he had left, I tried to stand. Once I was on my feet, I began to assess my injuries. My injured leg was stiff and felt weak, my head was swimming, and my shoulder ached, as if it wasn't fully healed. I took a tentative step forward, and noting that my legs didn't collapse under my weight, I began to walk towards the Bacta Tanks. Theo's tank was the fourth tank from the end of the row. The first one contained a Mirialan female, who looked as if someone had repeatedly punched her face, the second was a Zabrak female with bruised knuckles and claw marks up her arms and on her face. The third was a Human male, with sandy brown hair and a square jaw. He was covered in bruises and scratches. It appeared that the two females had been fighting and the male stepped in to separate them. Perhaps they were fighting over him. I realized that that was ridiculous and that I was just a hopeless romantic. Leni would've been laughing at me right now.

I stood outside of Theo's Bacta Tank, staring at his limp, bruised, form float aimlessly around in the clear, blue liquid that held him. My gaze shifted to the reflection in the glass of the tank. I saw someone behind me. I spun on my heel and found a tall boy, probably about my age, with a muscular build, tan skin, and dirty blonde hair, standing a few feet away from me. I looked at him, shocked that I hadn't sensed him come up behind me. I spoke, "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Not really, but I saw you looking in the tanks and wondered if you knew where you were going," he replied, nonchalantly.

"Yeah. I know. This is my friend, Theo. I'm Briki, and you are?"

"Timothy, but I go by Tim."

"So, are you a healer… or just here for no reason?"

"No, I'm not a healer. The Human in the tank over there is my friend, Daniel. The two girls were fighting and he stepped in to stop. The Mirialan is Athecc Sadalbari and the Zabrak is Lalcea Hearn. I don't know what they were fighting about though."

I nodded and he said, "So, what happened to you and your friend Theo?"

"Well, we fell off of a Stealth X and landed on the roof of a skyscraper, ninety meters below us."

"Ouch. What did you do that for?"

"Fun, obviously," my voice dripped with sarcasm.

Grinning, he leaned back on a nearby counter and laughed. "Seriously, though," he said through his laughter, "Why were you on a Stealth X, anyway?"

I sighed and when I spoke my voice sounded tired and weak, "We were trying to stop a girl named Kandra Dailie from escaping. You remember the alarms, a few days ago, right? Well, they were a diversion so that Kandra could get away. I have no clue why, though."

His cheery demeanor seemed to vanish into thin air. He let out a long breath and said, "I heard a rumor that she had turned to the Dark Side of the Force, and that her Master… or whatever the Sith call their teachers, is Vestara Khai. Do you know who that is?"

"No. I don't know who that is. I was totally born yesterday," my voice was no longer dripping sarcasm, it was pouring it.

Tim scowled mockingly at me. "Well, someone's snippy today."

As soon as the comment left his mouth, I burst into laughter. The comment wasn't horribly funny, but I needed to relieve the tension that had been building inside me since I had woken up. He looked at me with a smile in his gray-green eyes and a scowl on his lips. "What is so funny? I just pointed out the obvious. It's not like I told you an award winning joke or anything."

As soon as he said it, though, he burst into laughter. We stood there, laughing, for who-knows-how-long.

Once he had left, I went back to my cot. The world was spinning again, but I doubted that it was from the concussion. Tim had been exceptionally handsome. I wondered if I would see him again, anytime soon. I rolled my eyes at that thought, knowing that if I had never seen him before, he must be a Jedi knight or, at least, not a Padawan. It hit me that I was no longer a Padawan, and therefore, if he was a Knight, I would be seeing a lot more of him. For some unknown reason, the idea of seeing him again made my heart skip a beat. Hopeless romantic, indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Jedi Briki'Fiind. Jedi Leni'Sema. Jedi Sayaar'Kemi. Jedi Jacmi Pattel," I repeated the names in my quarters, trying to make them sound like they belong. It was three months after the 'Stealth X incident' and I was no longer 'Padawan Fiind'. I was 'Jedi Fiind'. I had a new title and possibly, a new identity. I could've been the quiet girl, or the tough girl, or even the innocent girl who trusts everyone. No. Not the innocent girl. After what happened with Kandra I could never place all of my trust in everyone, trust is to be earned. Not only can you earn someone's trust, but you can also lose their trust. Kandra lost mine.

If I hadn't still been trying to regain the muscles in my leg and arm, I would've been out in the galaxy searching for her. No one had seen or heard anything about her since the incident. The Jedi were not even considering that Kandra a threat anymore. I knew that she was. If they didn't go looking for her, something terrible would happen. I began to think about the stories of the being called Abeloth. Every day, when I looked outside, I saw more than skyscrapers and speeders. I see the remnants of buildings knocked down by a monstrous volcano. I see over grown plants that were said to once have been carnivorous. Most importantly, I see the silhouette of the Jedi temple, still standing, tall and strong, in reflections and shadows on the nearby buildings.

I nearly fell out of my chair when someone knocked at my door. I checked the chrono and saw that I didn't have to be anywhere for a while. Who would want to talk to me, other than Leni, Sayaar, or Theo, none of whom came by unless we needed to go somewhere? I got up and cautiously moved towards the door. When I reached it, I opened it and found a tall human male with a muscular build, tan skin, and dirty blonde hair standing in the hallway. Looking at his datapad, he said, "Hello. I am Jedi Bencen. I will be helping you adjust to the Jedi Knight lifestyle. Do you have any questions about being a Jedi Knight?"

"Yes, I have a very important question. Isn't your name 'Timothy, but you go by Tim', not Jedi Bencen?" I said with an expression that, I hoped, looked completely confused.

Without looking up, he monotonously replied, "Yes, it is, but you will call me Jedi Benc- Wait a minute," He slowly looked up from the datapad, and seeing who was standing in the doorway, burst into laughter. I grinned and motioned for him to step into my quarters.

We took a seat at the small table that I used for breakfast. I leaned back and ran my slender fingers over the nerf-leather straps that were wrapped loosely around my lekku. "So, you are my 'Being a Jedi Knight' handbook?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "I suppose I am. I was supposed to tell you that you need to pack up all of your belongings. You are moving into the Knights' Dormitories. I'll be back in three hours to help move your items. I will have someone bring boxes for you. How many do you think you will need?"

"Hmmm... Maybe seven or eight. I don't have a lot. Will furniture be provided?"

"Yeah, it will be. Oh, and you will be able to have more when you are a Knight. It will take longer to move from Knight to Master than from Padawan to Knight, assuming that you eventually become a master."

"Well, thanks. You probably have to be someone else's 'Being a Jedi Knight' handbook. I'll see you later."

"Yep, I'll see you in three hours."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Once he was gone, I began to take my few belongings out of the closet, drawers, and off of the shelves. I had just finished removing my belongings from the dorm when the boxes arrived. There were eight of them, just like I had asked for. I brought them into the bedroom and began to pack. As I worked, I developed a system: grab something, put it in the box, grab, box, grab, box, grab, box, close the box, get another box, start again. Once the system had been secured into my memory, my mind began to drift.

In two hours, I would see Tim again. My heart skipped a beat at the idea of seeing him again. It seemed odd to like him. First, he was a human and I typically did not find humans attractive. Second, he was my superior and, probably instructor. I didn't want to be singled out. Either way, I liked him and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The two hours passed without any special events and when I heard a knock at my door, I jumped out of the chair that I had been sitting in, and ran to answer it. Anxiously, I pressed the button to open the door. I found Ti- 'Jedi Bencen' standing on the other side. Smiling, I invited him inside. He stepped in and smiled back. Neither of us said anything. I guided him into the bedroom, where the boxes waited on the floor. He nodded in approval and said, "Follow me. I'll take you to your new room."


	4. Chapter 4

I followed Tim down the dim corridor. I smelled some sort of incense. It was sweet and made me feel as if I was walking on a cloud. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I realized that we had stopped. I looked around and noticed that we had arrived at my new quarters. I smiled gratefully and tapped the controls to open the door. Tim followed me inside and handed me a datapad. I gasped. It was the newest model and probably extremely expensive. Where did the Jedi get the money for these? If I got one, it meant that every new Jedi Knight got one. So, I asked Tim. He turned towards me and looked me in the eye. He said, "Briki, the Jedi Order didn't get you that datapad. I did."

My eyes widened and I gasped. I couldn't think of words to describe how grateful I was. All I could do was lean in and wrap my arms around his lean frame. I felt his arms wrap around me and took a deep breath, breathing in his scent. He smelled sweet with cologne. I took another breath, wanting to remember this moment forever. I felt his strong arms tighten around my waist and pull me closer. I allowed myself to be drawn in. I looked up into Tim's chocolate brown eyes and felt my heart stop. I reached up, removing my arms from his waist and wrapped them around his neck. He leaned forward and our lips touched. I reached up and entwined my fingers in his hair. He ran his strong hands down my sides and rested them on my hips. I melted against him and allowed him support my small figure. My arms went from his neck to the small of his back and I grabbed the hem of his shirt, as if to pull myself even closer. I felt his warm hands caress my back. Reluctantly, I pulled my mouth from his. He smiled patiently at me and I smiled back. I stepped back and said, "Thank you."

It took me hours to fall asleep that night. I kept thinking back to what had happened in the hallway earlier. Why had I made the first move? The girl wasn't supposed to do that. Did I ruin our relationship? Wait?! RELATIONSHIP? I'm in a RELATIONSHIP with Tim? No! That's ridiculous! He's just a friend… but if he were just a friend, why did we kiss? Did I kiss him or did he kiss me? Again, Briki, you made the first move. Stupid, stupid, stupid! But… if it were that stupid, why didn't he push me away? He almost welcomed it…

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a soft knocking on my door. I climbed out of bed, wearing no more than a tank-top and a pair of extremely short shorts, and walked to the door. As I peeked through the peephole, I saw a tall, blue-green figure standing in the hallway. I opened the door and allowed Leni'Sema to come in. I looked at her and said, "Leni, it is the middle of the night. Why are you here? I was TRYING to sleep."

Leni laughed and said, "I came here to talk. I haven't seen much of you since the 'Kandra' incident. Plus, I couldn't sleep either. These rooms are too big. They're kind of creepy in the dark."

"Well, you can sleep on my couch if you want, but I'd probably be getting up in an hour or so, so let's just talk. Have you met Ti-uh… Jedi Bencen?"

It was hard for me to call him that, but I knew that he wouldn't introduce himself to new Knights as 'Tim'. Leni continued, as if she had not heard me almost call him Tim. "Yep! He's attractive too."

"Mmm…"  
"What? Do you think he is ugly or something?"

"No, but what you said about him having a girlfriend is too true. I wish it wasn't, but it is."

I smiled to myself. Was I that girlfriend?

"Yeah…"

"Maybe you should get some rest while I take a sanisteam. It won't take long, but today is our first day of training and some rest would be better than none."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

9 hours later, I found myself sitting in a corner of the training area with Leni, Jacmi, and Sayaar. I was drenched in sweat and panting as if there was not enough oxygen in the galaxy to refill my lungs. I had just regained the ability to speak when Tim came over from his training group. He had just finished sparring and had barely broken a sweat. I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, but not just at me, at all four of us. I felt hurt to have not been the center of his attention, but I understood. He helped us up, one by one, and told us that it gets easier with practice. He led us to the sparring dummies and taught us a few very important things about lightsabers, or at least, I think it we were learning about lightsabers. Whenever he spoke, I seemed to leave reality and go somewhere where I could be the girlfriend that Leni and I had talked about.

About half way through training with Tim, Sayaar nudged me and said something that, snapped me out of my daydream. I looked at him and whispered, "What?"

He leaned over and replied, "I asked if you understood. I do, but it looked as if you were either confused or daydreaming, but now I know that you were daydreaming."

I smiled at him and looked back to Tim. Tim must've seen Sayaar and I talking because he looked at me as if he wanted to know what had been said. I shook my head very slightly and smiled at him. He went on as if nothing had happened.

Later that day, I was sitting in my new dormitory room and I heard a knock at the door. I had had quite a few guests in the past few days, I reflected as I went to answer the door. When I opened it, I saw Tim. He was as attractive as ever and looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower. His hair was damp and he had no shirt on. I could see the muscles all over his body tense when I opened the door. I allowed him to enter and we sat at the foot of my bed. I asked, "What brings you here?"

His response was, "I was just wondering what you had been talking about with your brother earlier… I guess it's none of my business, but I was-"

I interrupted him and said, "Let me guess, you wanted a reason to come talk to me."

He laughed, "Actually, yes. I've been wanting to talk to you, but I've been so busy lately…"

"I understand. I've been thinking about what happened the other night a lot."

"Me too. But more than that, I've been thinking about you."

This made me tense, but not in a bad way. I was happy and excited to hear that Tim had been thinking about me. So, I said, "Oh. What have you been thinking?"

"Mostly about how much I like you. I've also been thinking about how I would like to repeat that night…"

"Me too…"

He placed his hand on the side of my face and looked into my eyes. I smiled and he pulled me closer and closer, until our mouths met in a kiss. I felt the water from his hair drip down my forehead, but I ignored it. I would enjoy this moment if it killed me.

We were still kissing when I heard a knock at my door. I pulled away from Tim and called, "Who is it?"

The response was, "Leni! Let me in!"

I grimaced and called, "Leni, not now. I'm really tired and don't really want to talk."

"Briki, I've seen you when you were sick, when you were sleeping, I've even seen you when you were naked. Do you really think 'too tired' is a good excuse?"

When Leni said 'naked' Tim looked me up and down, as if trying to figure out how I would look without clothes on. I shot him a look that said 'dream on'. Leni called through the door, "Briki! Unlock this stupid door already!"

"Fine. Just give me a minute!"

I grabbed Tim's hand and dragged him into the refresher compartment. I warned him to be quiet and shut the refresher door. Then I invited Leni inside. We talked for hours. By the time Leni left, I had almost forgotten about Tim. Of course, that was both a good and bad thing. It helped me hide him from Leni, but some of the things that had been said were not exactly what you wanted someone to overhear.

As soon as Leni left, Tim popped out of the refresher, smiling. I glowered at him. "Did you hear all of that?" I said.

"No. I only heard some…" he said with a sly grin.

"What did you hear?" I shot back.

"Something about Leni's 'Dream Boyfriend' and maybe a little about yours…"

Now I was mad. "Look, I know I locked you in a refresher, but you don't have to eavesdrop on my conversations!"

"Well, I wasn't eavesdropping, I was just bored and happened to overhear. I didn't intentionally listen to you."

I wasn't mad anymore. I was furious. I reached up and slapped him. Hard. The palm of my hand hit him square in the jaw and caused his flesh to turn red. I shouted, "Maybe I shouldn't have let you into my room in the first place! Maybe I shouldn't have let you into my life!"

Between his red, swollen cheek and the hurt in his eyes, he looked so pathetic. I instantly regretted my words and reached out to grab his hand and apologize, but he turned to face away from me and said, "Briki, it wouldn't have made a difference if you wanted me in your life or not when we first met, but now, I need you. I've gotten to know you and I love you. Yes. I said it. I LOVE YOU, BRIKI'FIIND! I would say it to the galaxy on a live holonet feed if I could because it's so true. I used to think love was something fictional, something only found in books for children, but I know now that I was wrong. I was wrong because I found love."

By the end of his speech, hot tears were running down both of our faces. I looked up at him and kissed him. At first, he seemed surprised, but after a moment, I felt him relax. He picked me up, one arm under my legs and the other supporting my neck. We remained like that, hugging and kissing, for what seemed to be forever. I tasted the salt from our tears and pulled myself even closer to him. His muscular frame curled around me, like a living blanket. That is the last thing I remember.

At some point, we must've fallen asleep because I awoke to the continuous beeping of my alarm clock and the hiss of the sanisteam. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I climbed out of bed and waddled to the refresher door. Seeing that it was closed, I knocked. I heard the hiss of the water snap off and the rustling of fabric against skin. I knocked again, and this time, I said, "Um… Tim? Are you in there?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. I hope you don't mind me using your refresher, but when I got up, I didn't even think about it. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. Um… do you mind if I ask you a question? It might seem a little weird at first…"

"Don't worry. Go ahead and ask."  
I sighed and leaned up against the wall. "Ok. What, exactly, happened last night? I mean, what was that?"

"Hmmm… I guess you could call it young love. If you mean 'did either of us do anything embarrassing or stupid', the answer is no."

"Ok. Do you need me to get you clothes? I really doubt that you would fit mine and I don't have any of yours."

"No. It's fine. I'll get them later."

He opened the door and emerged wearing a pair of loose fitting pants and no shirt. Exactly what he had worn last night. "Huh. I guess that will work."

"It better, or else I will end up walking down three corridors and down two flights of stairs without clothes."  
"I don't know, I know a lot of people who would LOVE to see that."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want them to see that."

"You are absolutely no fun," I checked the clock, "It's almost time for breakfast and I still need to take a sanisteam. Oh and Leni, Sayaar, and Jacmi will be here soon. We always meet up to walk to breakfast."

Tim laughed and said, "Ok. I'm hurrying."

Another hour passed before Leni, Sayaar, and Jacmi came and Tim had been gone for more than forty-five minutes. As we walked to breakfast, Sayaar and Jacmi pushed ahead and began to talk about training. Behind them, Leni and I continued our conversation from last night.

"So, if you were his girlfriend, what do you think he would be like? I mean, he seems nice when he's around all of us, but what would he be like one-on-one?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Ask his girlfriend."  
"You know who she is? Tell me! I must know!"

"Yeah. I know who she is, but I can't tell you. She made me keep it a secret."

"Oh. So she is evil. Is she Kandra?"

"That's not funny."

"Yes it is! Lighten up! You've been so dull lately. What's up?"

"I'll tell you later. Ok?"

"I guess it's ok. I'd rather hear now, though."

"Well, now won't work for me. We don't have training today, so meet me in the archives later, ok?"

Leni let out an exasperated sigh. "_FINE. _If I must!"

I laughed and we continued to breakfast.


	6. Chapter 6

Later, in the newly repaired Archives, Leni and I sat in the corner farthest away from the doors. She looked at me, hopefully, but I looked at her as if she were my executioner. After a long silence, she said, "Ok Briki. You promised that you would tell me later in the Archives. Well, here we are. It's later and we're in the archives."

I sighed and tried to avoid looking her in the eye. "I suppose I did promise… but does 'later' have to be now?"

"Are you hiding something from me? I'm your best friend. You should be able to trust me with ANYTHING!"

I shrugged and looked away from Leni. "I'm not saying that we're not best friends. I'm just saying that I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you."

Leni sighed. "Leni, if you really want to know, come to my quarters tonight. I promise that I will tell you, but I think I need a little bit more time to 'prepare'," I said.

"Briki, you sound like you are about to tell me that you're dying. You're not dying are you?!"

I laughed a little, "No. I am most definitely not dying. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. I've found a wonderful reason to live."

She smiled, "Good."

That night, Leni never came. I waited up for hours, but eventually fell asleep on the couch. I awoke to a firm knock on my door. I quickly sat up and threw on some loose robes, assuming that it was a master that had come to discipline me for being late to class. When I opened the door, I found that I was correct that a master was standing outside my door, but my reasoning was very far off. I opened the door, only to find the cool, blue eyes of Master Ben Skywalker. I bowed my head. "Good morning master. I apologize for taking so long to answer the door, but I was asleep."

He smiled, "Asleep, as you should've been. It is very early Jedi Fiind. I have come to inform you that your friend, Leni'Sema has been attacked and severely injured. I know how close you are and I assumed that you would've liked to know."

My eyes widened and my breathing sped up, "M-Master Skywalker, do you know who attacked her?"

He took a deep breath and slowly, said, "No. Her attacker has not yet been confirmed, but we assume that it was the Sith. The only known Sith are Kandra Dailie and her master, who I assume to be my former lover, Vestara Khai."

I gasped in surprise. "I don't mean to intrude in your personal affairs, but who is this Vestara Khai?"

"Vestara is one of the only remaining Sith of the Lost Tribe. I'm sure you've heard of the Tribe. Of course, at the time I met her, I was sixteen. At first, I didn't know what to think of her. The only Sith I had met was Darth Caedaeus, Master Solo's twin brother. He was extremely violent, but Vestara didn't seem to be any more violent than myself. As we got to know each other, we fell in love. After some time, Abeloth convinced Vestara's father to kill her. She ended up killing him. After that, she began moving into the light. I knew it was too good to be true, however, when Master Solo, my father, and I were betrayed by her on Abeloth's home planet in the Maw. That was the last time I saw her. It was over ten years ago, but I felt something familiar in Kandra when she took off in the Stealth-X. I can't figure out what it was, though."

I stood there, astonished. After taking a moment to recompose myself, I looked up into his fair, freckled face and said, "Master Skywalker, may I see Leni?"

In the infirmary, I stood at Leni's bedside, waiting for her to wake up. It had barely been two hours and I was in hysterics. I was kneeling by Leni, crying, and shaking her arm hard enough to dislocate it. On top of that, I was almost screaming 'Wake up! Wake up, Leni! You're going to miss breakfast! You're going to be late for training!'.

After another hour of screaming and crying, I felt a strong, yet clammy hand clamp down on my right shoulder. I spun on whoever had dared to touch me, smacking them in the chest. It took me a moment to realize that the one that had grabbed my shoulder had been Sayaar. I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. I squeezed him hard enough to make him grunt in pain, but I didn't loosen my grip. I needed to hold something, or someone. I needed to know that I wasn't alone.

When I finally woke up, I was in a stiff chair, facing Leni's bed and Sayaar was sprawled out on the cold hospital floor. I shivered and ran a hand over my lekku. I rose, listening to my bones pop as I moved. I inched my way towards Leni, being careful not to step on Sayaar. When I reached her bedside, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. A moment later, I felt slight pressure on my hand. Had she squeezed back? I took a deep breath and decided that I wouldn't be able to conclude that she could feel it until she responded to other things, so I said, "Leni, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Pressure. I gasped and took a step backwards, tripping on Sayaar and crashing to the ground. He yelped in pain and shoved me off of him. I apologized and we both sat up. I grinned and said, "Leni squeezed my hand! I squeezed her hand and she squeezed mine back. Then, I told her to squeeze my hand and she did!"

"Geez, Briki! I think you're over reacting. The med-droids and healers said that Leni would be semi-responsive, but unable to move most of her body for a while. I guess that means that she can squeeze your hand, but that's probably it."

"Thanks for crushing my hopes and dreams. Anyway, I was also looking at her injuries and they were all caused by lightsabers, which we already knew, but they were all near her midsection. I guess that doesn't mean much to you, but I've trained against her so much that I know that when she defends herself against a lightsaber, she angles the blade wrong so that the attacker's blade goes into her midsection. Judging by these gashes, the attacker, aka Kandra, knew this and used it to her advantage. Kandra probably swung at Leni's head, knowing that if she swung at the right angle, she could hit a vital organ."

Sayaar looked thoughtfully at Leni, and a moment later, said, "You're probably right, but why do you think Kandra would've come and not Vestara or whoever her Master is? I mean, Kandra was probably supposed to kill Leni, but she didn't. Wouldn't it have been more certain that Leni died if the master came? Also, does the fact that Kandra came to kill Leni mean anything for us?"

I hadn't thought about our fates. What if Kandra was coming to wipe out anyone who had attacked her and prevented her from leaving Courscant? If that were the case, we all would die.


End file.
